Systematic revision of Gatesona (Crassiclitellata, Lumbricidae), an endemic earthworm genus from the Massif Central (France)

Not the brightest earthworm in the genus: two non-bioluminescent Avelona (Lumbricidae, Crassiclitellata) with description of a new species

Several new earthworm species have been described in France in the last decade, but the Western peri-Alpine region, despite hosting several endemic species, has received little attention. A recently discovered earthworm species from this region was found to be a close relative to Avelona ligra and Allolobophora s.l. zicsii after molecular phylogenetics (based on the molecular markers COI, 16S, ND1, 28S and 12S) and described as Avelona yvesi sp. nov. Morphological study of Av. yvesi sp. nov., Avelona zicsii comb. nov. and Av. ligra allowed to provide an improved diagnosis of the genus, highlighting a wide variability in spermathecae and nephridial morphology. These species reinforce the evolutionary significance of their range as a putative refuge of a pre-glacial diversity, show contrasting distribution patterns which could be attributed to historical or ecological causes, and provide new chances to study bioluminescence in Av. ligra with their closest, non-bioluminescent relatives.

Catch-All No More: Integrative Systematic Revision of the Genus Allolobophora Eisen, 1874 (Crassiclitellata, Lumbricidae) with the Description of Two New Relict Earthworm Genera

The taxonomy of earthworms has been riddled by instability, lack of systematically useful characters, and lax diagnoses of some genera. This has led to the use of some genera such as Allolobophora Eisen, 1874 as taxonomic wastebaskets, blurring their evolution and biogeographical history. The implementation of molecular techniques has revolutionized the systematics of the genus; however, some of its species have not been previously included in molecular phylogenetic analyses. Thus, the molecular markers COI, 16S, ND1, 12S, and 28S were sequenced for six endemic species including several taxa of Allolobophora and Aporrectodea Örely, 1885 (another related catch-all genus). Phylogenetic relationships determined by Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses support the status of two of the six taxa examined (Allolobophora burgondiae Bouché, 1972 and Aporrectodea icterica Savigny, 1826) as part of Allolobophora sensu stricto and a presumed synonymy between Allolobophora and Heraclescolex Qiu and Bouché, 1998. Branch lengths and average pairwise genetic distances support the transfer of Allolobophora satchelli Bouché, 1972 to the genus Panoniona Mršić and Šapkarev, 1988 and the emergence of two new genera, Heraultia gen. nov. and Vosgesia gen. nov., endemic to France, hosting Allolobophora tiginosa Bouché, 1972 and Allolobophora zicsii Bouché, 1972, respectively. The aforementioned changes of status and the diagnosis for Heraultia and Vosgesia are presented. These results provided more evolutionarily and biogeographically coherent earthworm groups and highlighted that the Maghreb and the area around the Alps are potential key locations for the diversification of Allolobophora and several lineages of Lumbricidae.

Three in one: molecular phylogeny of the genus Helodrilus (Crassiclitellata: Lumbricidae) with a description of two new genera and two new species

The earthworm genus Helodrilus comprises about 20 species with distributions ranging from the Iberian Peninsula to the Caucasus, through Central Europe, the Balkans, Anatolia and the Levant. The species prefer moist habitats and are often found in the mud of river banks, in swamps or in caves. Although a high degree of morphological variability is observed in the taxonomic characters, the genus shares a common feature: the absence of nephridial bladders. In this study, we clarify the phylogeny and taxonomy of the genus Helodrilus using an integrated approach including a multilocus molecular phylogenetic analysis and thorough morphological examination of several species across the putative Helodrilus area of distribution. The findings of this study have led to the genus Helodrilus being split and to the description of two new genera and two new species: Coventina Szederjesi, Sarbu & Csuzdi gen. nov. and Imetescolex movilensis Szederjesi, Sarbu & Csuzdi gen. & sp. nov. The highly homoplasic nature of the absence of nephridial bladders was also revealed.